You have apps to manage your daily tasks. There are apps that help you connect to and collaborate with your friends and coworkers scattered all over the world. You probably have an app to keep track of your expenses and keep the household budget on track. Then why shouldn’t technology make its way into the gym or when you go out for your daily run around the park?

Technology has transformed training and workout sessions for elite sportsmen and home fitness enthusiasts alike. Wearable tech that records biometric data and mobile apps that deliver live feeds. The age of Big Data in the fitness sphere is here. Here’s how a tech-powered workout can benefit you:

1. Helps you track, record, and analyze your performance

High-end fitness trackers, whether they are strapped on your wrist or chest, record a humongous amount of data. From automatic heart rate monitors and calorie counters to those that record the number of steps you take in a minute and the time you take to recover from the efforts of the previous physical activity, these wearables dish out all these data and more at the flick of the finger or the press of a button. When connected to a smart device, these gadgets also display detailed charts and diagrams that break down and analyze your performance. You can use a camera to click a picture of your Yoga posture or aerobic moves and review it.

Technology ensures you work out optimally and safely.

2. Keeps up your motivation level

Sometimes it is your partner and sometimes it is your BFF. We all need someone to egg us on and make us stick to our workout schedules, especially on rainy days and wintry mornings. However, some tech devices can also take up this duty and carry it out with aplomb. If the numbers you notch up during your workouts are not enough to make you pull up your socks, some devices will remind you that you have not met your pre-determined fitness goals with messages or buzzes. Some other devices jolt you from a period of inactivity with alarms.

Fitness technology devices keep you up on your toes and ensure you never miss a workout.

3. Acts as your own personal coach whenever you need him

Why do you need a personal trainer when you can have a fitness tech device that doubles up as one and is there to provide answers whenever you need them?

Several fitness apps let you download workout regimens and training sessions into your device, so you can learn the moves without having to go to a gym. Whether you want to learn Zumba or Pilates, Tabata or Yoga, all you now need is an app.

Some high-end devices even create customized workout sessions for you based on your biometric data. Many of these programs are accompanied by audio guides and video demos that help you master the moves correctly. Other devices flash diagnostic messages based on your performance during your workouts and any goal you may have set beforehand. You get to know instantly if you are running too slow, huffing and puffing more than you did on your previous workouts, or not burning enough calories. And like a thoughtful coach, some tech devices flash encouraging messages to boost your ego when you reach or surpass a fitness goal.

4. Saves you time and effort

You have your personal coach in tow, 24×7. You can have your performance numbers on your fingertips whenever you want. You can download or create a customized workout session that comes with its own audio and video. Why do you need to go to a gym? Technology saves you ample time and effort and also money in the long run.

Some sophisticated fitness tech devices take convenience a notch up and let you move through your playlist or switch to a different blog just by nodding your head, moving your arm, or twitching your eyes. These devices pack in sensitive motion sensors and touch-free interfaces, so you can keep lifting those weights or pounding away on the treadmill without disengaging your arms.

5. Helps your doctor diagnose accurately

How your body reacts or responds during various workouts can help your doctor figure out the exact state of your health or determine if a course of treatment is showing results or a specific medical condition has improved or worsened. Fitness tech devices churn out detailed biometric data like your heart rate before, during, and after workout and the number of hours you sleep deeply. These numbers help your doctor diagnose your condition accurately and prescribe therapies accordingly.

As Medicine gains new insights into how the human body works, fitness technology has to keep pace with the developments. You want to know more about how your body behaves, the best workouts for you, and how you rate against your peers. With the latest technology, a workout is now more than just a session where you sweat it out!